Publication:

Alterations of serum lipid profile in oral submucous fibrosis

Background Oral cancer is one of the most common form of malignancies in India. In many cases it develops at the site of premalignant lesion. Of all oral premalignant conditions, oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) is of greater concern because of its disabling nature and relative greater chances of malignant transformation. This study is aimed to evaluate the serum lipid profile in OSMF patients as the change in lipid levels may have a diagnostic and prognostic role in the potentially malignant lesions. The present study aimed to evaluate the alteration in serum lipid profile in OSMF and to compare them with healthy controls and to correlate the relationship between pathogenesis of OSMF and lipid profile.

Methods It is a case control study. The study included 50 diagnosed cases of OSMF and 50 matched healthy controls. Fasting venous blood of 3 ml was collected in both cases and controls and serum was separate. Fasting serum lipid profile including total cholesterol (TC), very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), low density lipoproteins (LDL), high density lipoproteins (HDL) and triglycerides (TG) were measured using automatic analyser. Statistical analysis was done using student 't' test .Pearson's correlation  was performed to establish the relationship between study variables.

Results It was observed that there was statistically significant decrease in serum total cholesterol, TG, LDL, VLDL and HDL observed in patients with OSMF  as compared to the control group (p<0.005).

Conclusions The low lipid levels associated with OSMF indicates that there is inverse relationship between oral cancer and serum lipid profile. Decrease in the lipid levels may be considered as a valuable biochemical marker in the early diagnosis and prognosis of oral malignancy.